Electricity production from cellulose in a microbial fuel cell using a defined binary culture.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) convert biodegradable materials into electricity, potentially contributing to an array of renewable energy production strategies tailored for specific applications. Since there are no known microorganisms that can both metabolize cellulose and transfer electrons to solid extracellular substrates, the conversion of cellulosic biomass to electricity requires a syntrophic microbial community that uses an insoluble electron donor (cellulose) and electron acceptor (anode). Electricity was generated from cellulose in an MFC using a defined coculture of the cellulolytic fermenter Clostridium cellulolyticum and the electrochemically active Geobacter sulfurreducens.

Cesium desorption from illite as affected by exudates from rhizosphere bacteria.

Biogeochemical processes in the rhizosphere can significantly alter interactions between contaminants and soil minerals. In this study, several strains of bacteria that exude aluminum (Al)-chelating compounds were isolated from the rhizosphere of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum) collected from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). We examined the effects of exudates from bacteria in the genera Bacillus, Ralstonia, and Enterobacter on cesium (Cs) desorption from illite.